Chapter 1, Reproduction (Hoar, 59 pp.) has good sections on 

 viviparity and gestation, and on the endocrinology of reorodur 

 tion. Chapter 3, Sex differentiation (Yamamoto h2 pp ) is a 

 very complete review of this subject, including a brief account 

 of the differentiation of secondary sexual characters. In chaoter 

 i4. Development: eggs and larvae (Blaxter, 63 pp.) the stress is 

 on larval development and growth rather than on embryology prooer 

 The early embryonic stages are treated very briefly, and refer- * 

 ence is made to other reviews. Larval biology is treated exten- 

 sively, and a special section is devoted to meristic characters 

 Finally our readers may be Interested to know that chapter 5 (by 

 Wolf and Quimby) provides a comprehensive source of information 

 on, and a guide to methods of fish cell and tissue culture. 



All chapters have extensive and up-to-date reference lists. 

 The book is very well produced and illustrated. 



Textbooks 



10. 



A.W.MARRABLE. 1971. THE EMBRYONIC PIG, a chronological account 

 Pitman Medical, London. XIV, 13O pp.. Ill figs., I5 tabs., sub- 

 ject index. £ 2.25 



This book differs substantially from the existing texts on the 

 embryology of the pig and other mammals. There is little empha- 

 sis on cellular detail and more stress on changes in external 

 form and their relation to internal structure. No single or se- 

 rial sections are shown, but these are replaced by a closely 

 spaced chronological sequence of whole-embryo illustrations. In 

 addition, much attention is devoted to the allometric and iso- 

 metric growth phases, to relationships between length, weight, 

 and age, and to what the author calls the intra-uterine ecology 

 of the pig litter. There is a good section on the formation of 

 the fetal membranes, which however lacks a comparative appraisal 

 of the peculiar "placenta" of the pig. 



On the whole the treatment is very satisfactory, but exception 

 must be taken for the early stages of morphogenesis. Gastrulation 

 is treated so inadequately that comparison with other amniotes 

 becomes impossible. (This is the more regrettable since the au- 

 thor has had the good idea to list the principal characteristics 

 of the Chordata, Vertebrata, Mammalia, Artiodactyla, and Suidae 

 each time they first become apparent, in conformity with the 

 "laws of von Baer"). The embryonic terminology adopted is some- 

 times odd, as in the terms "lamination" and "tubulation" , which 

 replace the classical "gastrulation" and "neurulation" . 



The illustrations are highly successful and clearly labelled. 

 The production of the book is very attractive. It is concluded 

 by a six-page bibliography. 



11. 



B.M. PATTEN. 1971. EARLY EMBRYOLOGY OF THE CHICK, 5th edit. 

 McGraw-Hill, New York, etc. XVI, 28^ pp., 113 figs., subject in- 

 dex. $ 7.00, £ 3.80, DM 33.^0 



The fourth edition of this well-known book dates from 1951. 

 Nevertheless, the additions in this new edition are relatively 

 minor ones, and the table of contents is virtually unchanged. 

 Eleven good new figures were added. About half of these are di- 

 dactic improvements, while the others illustrate morphogenesis 

 of organ primordia, neural induction, function of the embryonic 

 ,iieart, and the experimental analysis of limb development. As in 

 the previous edition, relatively little attention is paid to ex- 



15 



